Goldin joins three decades of groundbreaking entrepreneurs to
receive award

June 29, 2017 12:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EY announced that Kara Goldin, founder and CEO of hint®
Inc., the leading unsweetened flavored water company, received the
Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award in the Consumer category in
Northern California. The award recognizes entrepreneurs who are
excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and
personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Goldin was
selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented
at a special gala event at the Fairmont San Jose on June 23.

“I am so honored to be recognized amongst such a prestigious group of
entrepreneurs for a product that started as a simple need to solve a
personal problem and grew into a solution for all consumers looking to
take control of their health,” said Kara Goldin, founder and CEO, hint,
Inc. “hint started in my kitchen and grew to what it is today with the
incredible support and hard work from my team and family. This award is
a true testament that if you have an idea you believe in and won’t take
no for an answer, anyone can be an entrepreneur.”

Since its launch in April 2005, hint has helped consumers live healthy
lifestyles by making water taste better. Goldin founded hint when she
recognized that diet soda was controlling her life, so she set out on a
personal journey to clean up her diet, starting by replacing soda with
more water. While this shift drastically improved her health, she found
it boring to drink plain water. She started throwing fruit in water and
discovered it made the experience much more enjoyable. To her surprise,
there were no products on the market like hint, so Goldin took it upon
herself to bring the product she found so beneficial in her personal
life to consumers across the country.

Today, hint produces the leading flavored water with no sweeteners and
nothing artificial. Flavored only with natural fruit, hint delivers
refreshment without unnecessary additives. In addition to hint’s
original water, hint water brands include hintfizz, a carbonated drink,
and hintkick, hint’s first natural, unsweetened caffeinated beverage.
Recently, hint broadened its healthy lifestyle offerings with the launch
of hint
sunscreen, which uses the fruit essence from the original product
for scent, giving it a delightful smell that cannot be found in any
other product on the market today. hint has also pushed the boundaries
by eliminating oxybenzone and parabens, which have been tied to some
health issues.

hint is available nationwide in most natural, specialty and grocery
stores, as well as online at www.drinkhint.com.

Since 1986, EY has honored entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, spirit of
innovation and discipline have driven their companies’ success,
transformed their industries and made a positive impact on their
communities. Now in its 31st year, the program has honored the
inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Howard Schultz of
Starbucks Coffee Company, Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc., Reid Hoffman and
Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and James Park of Fitbit.

As a Northern California award winner, Goldin is now eligible for
consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 national program.
Award winners in several national categories, as well as the
Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be
announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm
Springs, California, on November 18, 2017. The awards are the
culminating event of the Strategic Growth ForumTM, the
nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading
companies.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are
nationally sponsored in the US by SAP America, Merrill Corporation and
the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In Northern California, sponsors
also include Solomon Edwards as a Gold Sponsor and Chatham Financial and
Big Picture as silver level sponsors.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Entrepreneur Of The Year®, founded by EY, is the world’s most
prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs, chosen from an
independent panel of judges including entrepreneurs and prominent
leaders from business, finance, and the local community. The program
makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial
activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of
people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.
As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind,
Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading
successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through
regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in
more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy

About hint® Inc.

Kara Goldin is the founder and CEO of San Francisco-based hint® Inc.,
which produces the leading unsweetened flavored water. hint makes it
easier for consumers to live healthier lives. The company’s products
have received numerous accolades, including Best Flavored Water (Health,
Men’s Health, and SELF), Best New Product (Better Homes and Gardens) and
the Silver Stevie Award for Best New Product. Since its founding in
2005, hint has been making water taste great without making it taste
sweet. hint’s brands include its flagship product, hint water, its
sparkling product line, hintfizz, and its lightly caffeinated line,
hintkick. hint’s products are available nationwide in most major
natural, specialty and grocery stores and are available at http://www.drinkhint.com
for delivery direct to your door.